Aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth, and electronic devices made of aluminum have the advantage of costing little. An aluminum-based redox couple, which involves three electron transfers during the electrochemical charge/discharge reactions, provides storage capacity that is competitive with that of a single-electron lithium-ion battery. Additionally, because of its lower reactivity and flammability, such an aluminum-ion battery might offer significant safety improvements.
In a conventional metal-ion battery with an aluminum electrode, the aluminum of the aluminum electrode and the aluminum deposited on the negative electrode are ionized during discharge. However, the aluminum cannot be recovered back to its original position on the aluminum electrode. As a result, after numerous charge and discharge cycles, the aluminum electrode can break, resulting in a reduction of the capacity and lifetime of the metal-ion battery.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a novel battery, which prevents the negative from being damaged while in operation, exhibiting a high capacity and long lifetime.